THE FAMOUS CRETAN DOGS OF ANCIENT TIMES
(texts translated in english by: Tsagaraki Athanasia
Greek Public School English teacher Graduate of the English Department of the Aristotle University -Thessaloniki)
A study by Spyros Marinatos, archaeologist and antiquities curator of Crete, as it was published in ‘Kinigetika Nea’ (‘Hunting News’) on March 1933(transferred as accurately as possible) 
If we, nowadays, wish to be called hunters but choose to go hunting without being accompanied by any hounds, as it, unfortunately, quite often happens, then we seem to be what the French call : ‘histoire des mots’, in other words as the ancient believed that it is impossible to hunt without dogs. The dog has been the noblest and brightest animal that man has succeeded in domesticating. The extraordinary abilities which a dog must evolve in order to be useful in hunting, have been cultivated by man so much, that today there are dogs which exceed by far all other kinds of animal intelligence. The dog, nowadays, indicates the level of our ethos. It may sound as an overstatement, but still, it is my own opinion. There is no other animal that has adapted to humans as the dog has. So, it is a disgraceful spectacle for one to see dogs living in poor conditions, dirty and abandoned in some underdeveloped nations, while in other ones, dogs happen to be considered a title of honor.
Experience has taught us, that dogs living in civilized countries are intelligent and apt to learning. Ploutarchhad already observed that they even reflect the particular characteristics of their master. As Orth writes in his scientific article about dogs of the ancient world, ancient Greeks achieved to train a marvellous generation of dogs, which resembled the intellectual traits of their masters. All civilized populations of the antiquity had cultivated dogs. They are often presented in Egyptian monuments, and it seems that many modern European breeds originate from the valley of the Nile, where they had been used in hunting.
The kings of Assyria, who, generally speaking, had been very capable warriors and great hunters, left us marvelous depictions of dogs, which they would cultivate with great assiduity. Here is a picture from the palace of Assourbanipalin Nineveh, or, as the Greeks would call him, Sardanapalus, who besides having been somehow misunderstood based on Greek sources, he in fact had been one of the greatest kings of Assyria. He ruled from 668-627 B.C.
Assoyrbanipal’s hunting dogs. Relief in the British Museum 
Among the Greek dog breeds, the most famous had been the ‘Molossian’ from the region of Epiros, also, the Laconian dog - the greatest of the ancient Greek world and of the antiquity, and the Cretan dog, which was considered equivalent to the Laconian. Here, we will only refer to the Cretan dog, but we shall also say a few words about the other two breeds.
The Greek Molossian (Mastif) and the relative dog breeds from Thrace, from Paeonia, and from Albania had been the most robust. Undoubtedly, they had been imported from Asia, and depictions on monuments that have been preserved until now, resemble the dogs from Assyria, the dogs of Assourbanipal. It appears that during the Persian Wars (about 480 B.C), the dogs that Xerxes of Persia had brought with, cross-bred with the generation of the Molossian, thus, giving an improved generation. Alexander the Great, being a big friend of the noble dog breed,  had acquired a whole herd of dogs from India, helping in this way to enhance the Greek Molossian . These dogs were used as hunting dogs for big preys, and as guardians of noble personalities. There is a statue of queen Olympias next to whom stands a beautiful proud Molossian. The following narration by Pliny reveals   the character of these animals better than any other description.
Molossian dog of Epiros. Sculpture believed to be made by Phidias. 
(The sketch was made by Mr Platonos, commissary of the museum of Heraklion) 
“The king of Albanians had given to Alexander the Great a pair of dogs.”(In this report, Pliny appears to be describing a serious as well as dangerous historical inaccuracy which you may yourself study. - An explanatory epistle by Pericles Kosmopoulos)One of the two dogs avoided attacking a bear, and Alexander ordered his men to kill it. The other dog had been certified by its former master to have been so unique that no other dog had ever existed like it before in the whole world. Indeed, it overpowered a lion, and evoked everyone’s amazement when it moved courageously against an elephant, which it succeeded to knock down.”
The Laconian dog was very famous during the antiquity. It was used for hunting mainly the hare, and its fame was such, that it would be exported even to distant nations. These animals were bred very carefully. Of these dogs, there had been two types; the first one was believed to have been the product of dog and fox mating. This certainly, was a conclusion made due to the exterior resemblance of the two animals, because as far as I know, contemporary science accepts only its relation to the wolf as possible. The fox differs in the shape of its eye’s iris and its number of teeth; consequently, it is not considered possible for these two animals to have successfully reproduced. 
The second breed, known as the dog of ‘Castor’ had been however, more eminent than the previous one. Xenophon, mainly refers to this breed in his short treatise, ‘Cynegeticus’ (‘Hunting with dogs’). This animal was of medium size, short-coated and sleek, with small sharp ears, a sufficiently sharp muzzle and a slightly curled up tail. Its speed, insistence and resistance had been renowned. Its sense of smell had been so sensitive, that the prey would be followed through the densest coppices and without the dog ever losing its traces. Many ancient writers refer to this animal admiring its characteristics, although here, we shall mainly refer to its closest relative, the dog of Crete.
THE DOGS FROM CRETE
Together with the Laconian dog, the Cretan dog was regarded as being equally able in hunting and mostly the female ones, as most references made about hunting dogs regard the female gender: The abilities of the Cretan and the Laconian dog were equal, the only difference being that, as the Cretan dog was braver, it was more suitable in hunting the wild boar and the bear. Its speed was such, that it was characterized as “parippos” by Polydeykis, meaning that it could easily run next to the horses. It was also called “diaponos” (indefatigable) because of its unique durability when hunting and its ability to run and hunt within dense vegetation. Experts also compare it to the dogs “matin” and “chien courant”.
Special zoologist Kondar Keller ascertains that the Cretan dog is a genuine type of sleuth hound that has maintained its primitive characteristics. It is a beautiful animal with a thin, elongated head, sharp muzzle, wide chest, shrinking hipbones and long, thewed legs. All ancient depictions that have been accompanying scientific books are incomparably inferior to the picture that I publish for the first time in ‘Kinigetika Nea’ (Hunting News).
A Cretan hunting female dog on a ‘Sard’, from the museum of Heraklion (sketch by Mr. Platonos) 
It is a marvelous Sard from the museum of Heraklion, belonging to the 4th or 3rd century B.C. The incomplete sketch that I lay here is impossible to portray the inimitable fineness of this work of art. This work is the creation of a great seal maker, where we can see a female animal, bound to its tracking, with its careful and attentive look, with its light and agile step that the ancient writers had been praising. Equally great were the virtues of the Cretan dog as a shepherd dog, as a domestic guardian and as a guardian of temples. The most famous region for the reproduction of noble animals had been western Crete and more particularly, Kydonia, i.e. modern Chania. It was also believed that the city’s generator, Kydon had been raised by a Cretan dog. This belief was incused in certain currencies of the city, and here you can see twodrachma coins from Kydonia; of the two, the first has been considered the most beautiful and authentic depiction of the great Cretan generation of sleuth hounds. Such is presented by Imhoof Blumer and by Keller in the work ‘Animals and Plants on Currencies and Sculptural Stones’. However, the small masterpiece above by far surpasses both.
Cretan Dogs on currencies of Kydonia (the one on the right is doubtful) (Sketch by Mr. Platonos)
THE PRESERVATION OF A GREAT GENERATION
Now, we shall deal with our main theme, the one that inspired the composition of the present article: The generation of the great Cretan hunting dog of the ancient world is maintained up to today even if it is not in the best condition. We are, however, able, through systematic choice and care, to bring back a great generation of dogs, which will be uniquely Greek, perfectly accustomed and bearing the glorious historical tradition of thousands of years ago. 
I, myself, know very little about the region of Epiros and almost nothing about the Lakonian region. Therefore, I am not suitable to state to what extent the remaining population of the great Molossian and the Laconian dog is maintained today. However, I know the Cretan dog very well, and consequently, I am able to certify its preservation based on my experience, and not only that, but many excursionists have also observed the existence of the noble generation of the Cretan dog up to our day.
The famous Tournefort whose work “Voyage au Levant” (1717) was rather popular, says: “All dogs are hound hybrids, badly shaped…. they lost nothing of their ancient cleverness. These dogs, when meeting, don’t change course at once, but stop a little and growl showing their teeth. Afterwards, they calmly go separate ways.
Sonini, who published his tour in 1801, certifies the degeneration of the Cretan dog and attributes the fact to the abomination of the Turks for this animal. English scholar Pashley (‘Travels in Crete’, 1837) is the first one to explicitly stress that today’s Cretan dogs are descendants of the old glorious generation, and the famous naturalist Raulin states exactly the same in his important work ‘Description Physique de la Crete’ (1869). 
It is true, indeed, that these noble animals have been neglected, considerably degenerated, and partly cross-bred. However, one can still observe in cities and villages everywhere on the island the dogs of the old generation wondering, with their scrawny bodies, without even approaching the proportion of the so-called “sleuth hound”. One can also see the distinctive erect ears, sometimes slightly flapped, together with the characteristic long and thin muzzle. 
When we occasionally read, as for example in the last copy of  the magazine ‘Hunting News’, that ‘Mourgos’or some other scruffy sheepdog has unexpectedly shown unique hunting virtues we don’t usually consider ‘why’. From a completely unevolved animal type one can never expect miracles. This happens because the corresponding animal types have not undergone any development, so possibilities for remarkable performances remain hidden. However, some animals, at times, happen to have a background of superior development. There is the phenomenon called atavism, according to which, at numerous times, descendants demonstrate physical and other kinds of attributes originating from their ancestors. In the interesting story that honorable Mr. Polyzois narrates in the columns of this magazine (‘Hunting News’ March 1933) it is needless to say that ‘Mourgos’ is a noble descendant. When one hears that loose country dogs reveal extraordinary hunting virtues, they should immediately deduce that it is their ancestor’s blood that has suddenly came forward.
The best dog up to today, concerning the hare-hunt, which I happen to have met, belongs to my compatriot, Mr. Sp. Bardas from Lixouri, Kefallinia. It comes from a common ‘layabout’, whose master is a vendor of eggs and poultry and who has never hunted. However, quite easily, and with no particular effort,  it became a splendid dog in all different kinds of hunting, but above all in hunting the hare, for which it is willing to abandon any other tracking. The fact that it lurks and it has slightly flapped ears convinces us that it is related to some European generation, and that cross-bred in the past.
Scene of hunting on an ancient ceramic vessel 
Now, let’s concern ourselves with the Cretan dog, which is our main subject. Having studied the question of the survival of the above generation, and being able to travel in the whole of Crete, I have always looked carefully for any interesting ‘local, hunting dogs’. In every village, of course, they will demonstrate such animals. Most, however, are so degenerated that any hunting attributes are usually so moderate and in most cases of no importance. There have been, however, three cases of clearly indigenous animals with somehow developed hunting attributes. And in these three cases the dogs maintain the characteristics of the old Cretan generation, particularly the long thin muzzle. One could ask why I haven’t laid a picture of the dog. The reason is that in all cases the unlucky animals have been the victims of local ‘beautifications’. They were mutilated, and I feared that the present magazine could fall in the hands of foreigners who would then recall the strict words of zoologist Keller: “In general, the Cretan dog gives the impression, that it is neglected. Occasionally, they mutilate the tail and ears, something that gives the dog a miserable appearance”.
The dogs I refer to are the following: 
1) Mr. Katakis, a high school teacher in Rethymno, owns a domestic animal which is quite degenerated. It is of medium stature. I was not in the position to study its attributes though, as during the two-day hunting occasions that it accompanied us (14 and 15 February ), it would refuse  to run and his master admitted that “it was not in a good shape”. However, its owner, as well as others certified that it could quite successfully hunt the hare especially in thick vegetation, and I have no reason to contradict them. 
2) A shepherd from the village Ellenes in Amario, possesses a dog of an indigenous generation, quite neglected, of an impure-white color and of a rather big stature (therefore, approaching the ancient generation). The shepherd himself had never been a hunter and would not know much, so, his behavior was not at all friendly. The dog had learned to hunt hares on its own, and it would hunt so often, that its owner would eat one each week. The hunters of the village certified that the dog would hunt its preys in the whole region and all year round. This fact, of course, was rather unpleasant for the particular hunters, one of whom at early August, even went to his neighboring village Merona and after reaching the local patrolman, accused the shepherd of illegal hunting. 
- ‘Come and see for yourself that up there in a marmite they are cooking the hare.’
The patrolman, however, did not consider it wise to go up there in order to seize the marmite. I guarantee the accuracy of these facts, as they had been narrated to me by the charger himself. I have, actually, seen the dog hunting. The people there would make small excavations outside the village Ellenes in October, and I was uselessly trying to approach any of the partridges of that region. Early in the evening, I returned to my excavation on the roots of a small hill. I had ten or twelve workers with me, of which one would reassure me:- Here is where the hare comes”, admitting in this way its existence. A few moments later, the shepherd approached out of curiosity. The dog immediately started its research. It was dark already. I considered all the reassuring words of the workers that this messy animal would find the hare in a few minutes as a joke. It would wonder quietly up and down the hill. 
It searched noiselessly, calmly, without any nervous movements. I thought that it was wandering lazily and aimlessly. The search took about half an hour, when under a stone, in a completely bare region, in a distance of hardly 20 meters from the point where the workers had been digging all day, the dog started moving quite lively. Then, all the workers immediately ran and encircled the stone; I myself considered all these rather comical because I knew the movements of the lurking dogs. However, they knew better than me. The hare was under the stone. Soon after its first attempt to escape, the pray was captured by the dog. The old shepherd immediately put the hare into his apron’s pocket and left without even saying good-buy. All my workers did was to make fun of my newly acquired ‘hammerless’ which I had brought from Paris.
3) Of all animals I have encountered, the best was that of monk Simeon of the ‘Asomaton’ monastery, again in the region of Amario. In this case, I captured a hare with the help of this dog in November, at the end of this year, when excavations once again had been taking place. I went hunting with Simeon and Mr. Stavridakis, an employee of the farm school, and in a close distance, hardly 5 minutes away from the Monastery. It had been raining all night long, and the dense clumps of trees were all wet. With Simeon’s encouragement the dog moved into the holt, unwillingly and with slow movements, almost by force one could say. When the dog distinguished something between the branches, we stood in three positions around the dense clumps. Both men were reassuring that if there had been a hare, the dog would soon bring it out. Almost 20 minutes passed, during which Simeon would encourage, the invisible to us, animal. Finally, we heard its growl and soon after the hare appeared going out of its hole and starting to run towards the forest in front of me. I shot once, so as to notify the dog. But that was unnecessary. A few seconds later, the dog and its prey appeared. The hare then would run in a semicircle so as to turn and hide in the forest once again. I ran deeper into the stream where the hare directed and I shot. The dog came close, bit its prey and quietly left.  All these took place in less than a minute, and only a moment passed when it started to rain so hard that we were soaking wet before reaching shelter under an olive tree. It was impossible to hunt anymore and at midday I had to go back to my accommodation. Unfortunately, there was not another occasion for me to hunt with this dog.
Based on the above we can comprehend the attributes of the Cretan dog. It does not lurk. It hunts calmly and insistently. Patience is its main virtue, together with its precious endurance and the fact that it fearlessly enters the densest parts of scrubs. It is a very undemanding and light-footed animal, and it can hunt from morning until evening without water and without expressing any other needs. Now, we come to the last part of this study, which is disproportionately long for the columns of the “Hunting News”. In any other country in the world, such a unique generation of dogs with so many precious advantages would have been immediately noticed and through choice and systematic care it would have been carefully trained. Here, no such thing has happened yet, but it’s about time it did. I hope it will not be considered as an exaggeration, when I express the hope that soon we could have an excellent generation of hunting dogs, superior in resistance and agility compared to any European breed. This generation would have the precious quality of being perfectly accustomed to the Greek environment due to the hundreds of its past generations. Because of the need to shorten my article, I had to omit the history of the Cretan dog that appears to have been imported from Egypt and (though it seems incredible) we are still able to observe its hunting behavior from 3000 B.C. up to today. We could recreate a generation with the ultimate honorary title of being the oldest hunting dog in Europe.
In almost all civilized nations there are associations for the protection and the improvement of dogs. I have suggested the foundation of a similar association, but for such an action, funding is needed, so initially, I propose the raise of money among the wealthiest and most enthusiastic hunters, starting with my offer of 500 Drs, as I am an enthusiastic hunter myself. Ancient sources report, as previously mentioned, that the region of Chania is the homeland of the most famous dogs. Therefore, I turn to their local Hunting Association, which could promote the matter. If there are native animals with good hunting attributes, then systematic and careful mating with similar animals must take place, even if these are found in the utmost part of the country; because, it is really curious, as Keller also reports, that few of these animals have been seen in Chania and more frequently in Heraklio. Keller writes: “I was reassured, that in the region of Sitia in Eastern Crete, these dogs abound”. There are a lot of people in villages, who wish to undertake the training of the dogs for a bag of barleycorn. That is why I stressed that we would need funding. With a little help, these people could play an important role in the reproduction of the genuine Cretan dog. Soon, the demand could automatically promote a financially viable situation. The reproduction must take place seriously so that the dogs will be accompanied with breed certificates etc. These responsibilities must be undertaken by associations. I strongly believe that we will soon breed a priceless generation of hounds, because perhaps no other living dog has the glorious past and the fame of the Cretan dog.
As it was impossible to hunt without a good Cretan dog in the past (as Ovidius claims in ‘Metamorphoses’), we will soon be able to have an animal accustomed to the climate and our edafic conditions, able to work more than any other delicate and heavy European dog. So, soon we will at last have a genuine Greek dog with a respectful past that, I think, with a little attention in its upbringing it would soon exceed the Greek borders, and be placed next to the best European generations.
Heraklion, March -1933. SP.MARINATOS, Curator of Antiquities, Crete.